COGI Quote - Feb 22

Stephen Aftergood provides these transsparency quotes from the Big Three in a recent issue of Nieman Watchdog (2-7-08). Keep these in mind during pre and post-election days.

“Excessive administration secrecy... feeds conspiracy theories and reduces the public's confidence in government,” Sen. John McCain

"I'll turn the page on a growing empire of classified information,” Sen. Barack Obama.

“We'll protect sources and methods, but we won't use sources and methods as pretexts to hide the truth.” “We need a return to transparency and a system of checks and balances, to a president who respects Congress's role of oversight and accountability,” Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Can anyone provide parallel quotes from Minnesota senatorial wannabe's?

Is the spectrum just too complex for reporters?

Is the spectrum just too complex for reporters? Article in the Nieman Watchdog and flagged in Media Reform.The title is provocative and it’s a good question. I would argue that the spectrum itself isn’t all that complicated - it’s the USE of the spectrum that baffles reporters and advocacy groups. Roger Sween spoke of the “implicitless” of information - and of the radio waves that deliver it. We feel compelled, somehow, to separate the discussion of means from the discussion of content. The techies vs. the nerds…In government, it’s IT in one silo, the public record, data, useful government information in a separate silo. Meanwhile, the radio waves are perceived as one-directional. Only now, the keepers of the word, especially the print press, are straddling what, in my mind, is the most pernicious of the several digital divides.

Self-proclaimed professional agitator Sheldon Mains started a digital deluge today by announcing he’s cancelled his Strib subscription. His rationale struck a chord with E-Democracy readers, virtually all of them recovering Strib readers. As a longtime cancelled Strib subscriber I must admit an occasional pang of regret that I can’t recancel - unless, of course, I resubscribe, in which case I would have to endure that barrage of dunning phone calls when I recancel…..

Mary Treacy

Net Neutrality Is a Civil Rights Issue

Net Neutrality Is a Civil Rights Issue. There’s tons written about network neutrality, currently being fiercely debated at the federal - especially FCC - level. This article by Mark Lloyd and Joseph Torres deals specifically and insightfully with the digital divide, stressing the inherent link (sometimes overlooked) between information and telecom access.

Afloat in the Wireless Pond - A Week Away

Not your “in the box” day: We have room for a few more participants in the March 1 conference affectionately (?) known as “Afloat in the wireless pond.” All the details at www.mncogi.org. If you’re looking for the same old, same old this is not your venue, but if you’re looking for original perspectives on our digital environment, check it out! Where else will you find a noted journalist, a geographer, a poet, a philosopher, a data manager, city planner, librarian and high school students - plus numerous demos and a room full of creative thinkers -- all focused on the realities and possibilities of information age life in Minnesota. Note: Students are invited to participate at no charge.

Reuters Group PLC Taken Over by Canada’s Thomson Corp

Thomson Gains Clearance From Wall Street Journal, February 20, 2008 by Corey Boles and Jessica Hodgson

Competition authorities in the U.S. and Europe cleared the takeover of Reuters Group PLC by Canada’s Thomson Corp., which would create a financial-data giant, on the condition that the companies divest some assets. Local implications???

Kind Words for COGI

It’s always great to receive a pat on the back – even better when the “patter” is held in high esteem -- and better yet when you can share it….We rec’d this note today from the Free Government Information, i.e. the federal government document librarians .

In the spirit of openness, we’re sharing….We Salute MnCOGI by dcornwall

...About the only quibble we have with MnCOGI is that we believe that collection, maintenance and preservation of information are responsibilities too important to be left to each government office. They must be

assisted in those tasks by third parties with fewer axes to grind, like
libraries. But this is a minor quibble given the level of involvement by
libraries in MnCOGI.

One last thing we appreciate about MnCOGI is that they have signed up
nonlibrarian organizations like the MN Newspapers Association to their efforts.
Congratulations on that. Keep up your important work!

Thank you FGI - we appreciate your plaudits and take seriously your quibble.

Nominations open

Minnesotans promote and protect the right to know in strange and wondrous way. Think about the individuals and organizations that carry the torch in times of great social, political and technological change. You still have time to submit a nomination for the 19th annual John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Nominations due Monday, March 3. The awardee(s) will be honored at the annual Freedom of Information Day celebration on Friday, March 14, Noon at the Minneapolis Public Library.